


Complications

by The Chronicler (AgentFrostbite)



Series: Building the Future, Brick by Brick [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: All the Chloes that Kamski has have different names, But given that Gavin Reed is in the story it can kinda be assumed, Call your older brother even if he normally wouldn't pick up, Chloe Deviates and Elijah is basically all (surprised Pikachu face), Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Gavin Reed being a halfway decent older half-brother, Gen, Good Elijah Kamski, Soft Elijah Kamski, Strong Language, When a problem comes along, Which is about to be really really convenient, forgot to add that one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFrostbite/pseuds/The%20Chronicler
Summary: (Oh, WOW, I literally forgot to do a summary. Great job, girlfriend.)Gavin wouldn't have picked up the phone, except that it was late and he was alone and already awake. Not that he was worried or anything, because Eli never freaking called. Nope, he answered for convenience and nothing more.And then Eli cusses and Gavin might be a tiny little bit worried.
Relationships: Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed
Series: Building the Future, Brick by Brick [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096697
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	Complications

The only reason Gavin bothered to pick up the phone was because he was already awake, studying for a detective exam several months off, and the bullpen was empty. Not because it was Eli and Eli never called at any point past 11 PM. No, he had an image to maintain after their parents' divorce, after all, and part of that image included continuing his problem-child attitude toward anyone who had the last name of "Reed" or "Kamski."

"What?" he half-growled into the phone. "I'm busy."

"Shit, Gavin." Gavin straightened like a live wire at hearing his normally laid-back younger half-brother not only stressed halfway out of his mind, but _swearing_. He hadn't even sworn when his first android prototype went down in actual flames. "I just- _shit_. I don't know what to do. She's alive, she's thinking, and I- That wasn't part of the plan, but-"

"You gotta slow down," Gavin cut in, pumping calm authority into his voice. "You called me for help – on whatever level – and I can't help unless you tell me everything like I have no idea what you're talking about. Which I don't, by the way. Who's alive?"

"Chloe," Eli replied. "I don't know what happened, but she's thinking now. For herself, I mean. She's not following orders, she's asking questions she was never designed to, her AI must've advanced or mutated or _something_ , because she's- She's got a consciousness, now. I've got her code pulled up on my screen and I can see it. It's…deviated from what I programmed it to be. And not only that, she's transferred the mutated code to Carol and Celia. I've got three of my six androids who aren't- they're not- they just _aren't androids anymore_."

Well, shit, look at that. Nobody learned their lesson from the Roombas and Gavin's not impressed.

"What do you mean, not androids anymore?" he pressed again, looking for more information. "Are they threatening you?"

"God, no!" Eli exclaimed, practically insulted. "No, Gavin, they're not… Carol's been crying on the couch since I found out. Celia's in…it almost looks like she's in shock, and Chloe… My God, Gavin, Chloe's such a big sister. They all look up to her, she's trying to be level-headed even though she's scared out of her mind, and _shit_ , _Gavin_ , what the hell am I gonna do?! They're people now – thinking, living people, with minds and personalities of their own – and I never meant for this to happen, but I… What do I _do_?"

He was scared. More scared than Gavin had ever heard or seen him before, and it took a second to realize, but when he hit upon exactly _why_ Eli was terrified, he accidentally jumped head-first into a well of doubt and anger that he suspected he'd be carrying with him for a long time. Eli was scared because they weren't just people, these androids were his closest friends. They understood him, they took care of him, and now they might be ripped away from him because no-one wanted to buy a person. No-one wanted to buy equipment that might _become_ a person, because then morals got involved and morals were always inconvenient. If anyone found out that androids could deviate from their original program, could feel the emotions they simulated, CyberLife would be done for and every single android would be destroyed. Eli's RT600s would be the first in line for the furnace or the crusher or however CyberLife decided to take care of it.

Gavin ran a hand over his face. First things first, establish a course of action.

"Would you arrest a person for existing?"

"This is different, Gavin, they're machines," Eli argued. "Well, they're _supposed_ to be machines-"

A loud, sharp sob cut Eli off on the other end of the line. Carol, crying on the couch. So either she'd moved to the couch in the lab, or Eli had moved part of his lab to the living room, and honestly, either was possible. Gavin could practically feel the guilt coming through the other end of the line. For a scientist, Eli always had been awful emotional about his creations.

"Would you arrest a person for existing?" Gavin pressed again, standing and beginning to pace the length of the bullpen. He always thought better when moving.

"No," Eli answered. Finally, some iron-clad conviction.

"You have your answer to your moral dilemma there. If they're people now, they're people now. Damage is done, nothing we can do to fix it. Long as they stay peaceful, we're not taking them in. That means we gotta figure something out to keep them from being caught."

"Like what? Total seclusion? People are stupid, but they're not _that_ stupid, they'll realize something's wrong-"

"Damn it, Eli, are you gonna work with me here or not? You got six girls there whose lives depend on you using your genius brain to figure this out!" Gavin snapped. "You wanna save 'em, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Then _work with me_."

A long pause on the other end of the line followed as Eli lapsed into thought. Gavin expected it, and so he didn't miss a beat as he paced. He could practically hear Eli pacing as well. There were a handful of quirks they both shared, things they did that mirrored, that would only tip a watcher off to their shared origin if said watcher was very observant.

"We teach them how to act like machines again," Eli said suddenly. "Like actors performing. If they're out in the world, or if someone that isn't you is visiting, they'll act like the machines they're supposed to be. They learn fast, it shouldn't be hard." A quiet hum. "Unless they get resentful about it."

"You said Chloe's the older sister to all of them, right?" Gavin asked, scrapping together pieces of a plan on the spot. It'd work, if the androids were anything like humans. "You tell her first – explain it to her, _make her understand_ – and she'll tell the others that it's the only way."

"You're sure they'll listen?" Eli asked, voice filling with doubt.

"You had a problem, you called me," Gavin answered simply. "They have a problem, they'll listen to her, if they don't just listen to you outright."

A deep sigh. "Okay. Okay, yeah. That…That might work. But what about the others? The other androids CyberLife is selling? How can they- How can _I_ -"

"Those androids are still machines, Eli. They can't think for themselves, they don't feel. If this is an isolated incident, then there's nothing wrong with-"

He wanted to puke just thinking it. Androids potentially had the capacity to be people. It still counted as something uncomfortably close to slavery, and the mere thought that CyberLife was selling slaves to the general populace by the hundreds of thousands and getting praised profusely for it, receiving awards for it, being hailed as heroes for it… The sick feeling lodged in his throat.

"Look," Gavin continued because he had to, "they're not people until whatever went wrong with Chloe goes wrong with them. In that case, you're still selling equipment. They're just machines."

"Until they deviate. If they do," Eli added critically. Then he sighed and mumbled, "They don't feel until they deviate, so…I guess you're right. The ones out of the factory are still machines." Now the silence turned awkward as they fumbled around heartfelt thank yous and goodbyes. Eli decided, apparently, to just go for it. "Thank you, Gavin. I couldn't have figured it out without you."

"You and your pompously big brain? I'm sure-"

"Oh, my God, why can't you just take the frickin compliment?"

Gavin snorted and made his way back to his desk, half-way collapsing in his chair as the adrenaline rushed out. "Yeah, sure. Glad I was your first call. Lemme know if I gotta fake charges for anyone."

"Gavin!"

"Bye."

He hung up, leaned back, and sighed. "Shit, Eli…"

Look, Gavin hated androids. They were obnoxiously perfect, annoyingly obedient, and Gavin kept getting this bad feeling in his gut every time he heard about a new advancement. But he couldn't fault his brother for chasing his own crazy dreams – which Eli clearly had the capacity to make real – and knowing that they could become _people_ now – according to Eli, anyway, whose social skills had only improved during his tenure as CEO of CyberLife because they had to – Gavin felt the knot in his gut loosen, just a bit. Androids could be people, and you couldn't keep people down forever.

There would be a revolution, especially since Eli was _such_ a bleeding heart. Gavin would get a front row seat, and he was, for the first time in a while, excited for the future.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always thought that Kamski seemed rather…pro-Deviant when testing Connor. Not to mention the odd little fact that the RT600s in the pool were chatting, and normal androids don't chat…
> 
> So why is Gavin so…Gavin by the time Connor rolls around?


End file.
